Chapter 493
As he spoke, he intended to withdraw from the small world.
Suddenly, a thunderbolt streaked across the sky.
Li Mo saw Him hurl a weapon, a staff inscribed with the words "Ruyi Jingu Bang" (如意金箍棒), which plunged fiercely into the crack.
He vanished from sight, leaving no trace of where He had gone.
Only the staff remained, standing alone.
Yet, it no longer radiated the brilliance it had in His hands; instead, it turned dark and stone-like, resembling an ordinary stone pillar in the tranquil small world.
Li Mo fell silent for a moment before reaching out to touch it.
The texture was rough, almost suitable for use as a fire poker.
"This can't just be a divine weapon..."
"But I don't know how to wield a staff... I could use it like a hammer, though."
"So, does this mean... the incident with the monkey stealing peaches isn't over?"
Little Li never expected that the last piece of armor worn by the Great Sage would appear in such a manner.
...
With a mix of emotions, Li Mo awoke.
Morning sunlight poured in.
As he groggily came to, he felt that his small world was more stable than before, as if the entire realm had gained a pillar of support.
Not only that.
The fighting spirit of Qi Tian Da Sheng (齐天大圣) had also reached a breakthrough.
Buzz—
Divine intent was released, rippling through the space.
Ying Bing stirred awake, and upon opening her eyes, she saw the golden-armored figure behind the young man.
At that moment, the visage of the golden armor was no longer blurred; every detail was vivid and lifelike.
Ying Bing was taken aback, quickly realizing.
"Is he about to break through?"
---
Chapter 554: Does Little Li think of her as a fool?
Last night, a spring rain fell all night long. Now, the clouds had parted, and the rain had cleared. Little Li, while serving breakfast, still couldn't figure out what had happened.
To be honest, he barely understood what the inner landscape was.
"The Ruyi Jingu Bang prevented the collapse of the small world."
"And this thing is extraordinary. It's the first time I've seen a weapon that a hammer wouldn't dare approach. No doubt, it's a great treasure..."
"So first, let's rule out that the Monkey King is being petty, still brooding over the monkey stealing peaches..."
As Li Mo slurped his noodles, he pondered.
Overall, this might be a good thing for him.
The problem was... the Monkey King had left in a hurry and hadn't explained the benefits to him.
He hadn't even come into contact with the inner landscape, leaving him completely in the dark...
Seeing him mumble without joy after his breakthrough, Ying Bing guessed he was facing some issues with his realm.
But Teacher Bing Tuo quietly tied up her hair and continued eating her noodles, allowing him to think for a while.
The realm is one's own; the martial path is one's own. One can't just...
"I got it! How could I be so foolish..."
Li Mo suddenly wiped his mouth and spoke up.
"What did you figure out?" Ying Bing's lips curled into a faint smile.
He was quicker to understand than she had anticipated.
"Why not just ask Bing Tuo? What am I overthinking here? Isn't that a waste of brain cells?"
Little Li was all about taking advice.
"...Ask what?"
"Bing Tuo, you should take a look at my treasure first."
"?"
Ying Bing's icy eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of wariness creeping in.
The Divine Hammer, the little tyrant, and the wife-boosting fighting spirit—what other treasures could there be besides the hammer and her?
But Little Li's eyes sparkled with curiosity. If he was talking about the hammer, he should be too shy to meet her gaze right now.
So, Bing Tuo nodded slightly.
Before she could utter a "good," Li Mo had already taken her hand, and since they were both at the Observation of Divine Nine Apertures, there was no need for Bing Tuo to suppress her realm.
In fact, Li Mo had long wanted to take Bing Tuo to see the small world.
Compared to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, compared to Qing Yuan Sect, this was the true world that belonged to him.
Moreover, cough...
He was bound to let Bing Tuo know about the matter of the Heavenly Sovereign teaching Xiao Jiang sooner or later.
It was just that before, the small world was still a seed, too small, and later, when it grew a bit, there had been no opportunity.
The sky of the small world synchronized with the outside world.
At this moment, it was just right—clear skies, gentle winds, the sun high in the sky, mountains and rivers beautiful.
Of course, the most real were still the sun during the day and the moon at night; everything else was merely superficial.
Standing in the small world for the first time.
"So this place is so big, but it's still not perfect."
Ying Bing's eyes reflected the beautiful scenery, her gaze flickering.
"Mm?"
Li Mo did not see the expected reaction.
The seed of the world was already quite rare, yet Bing Tuo was far calmer than he had imagined.
"Don't you have anything to say?"
"Mm, it's very beautiful."
Ying Bing looked up at him, her eyes holding a hint of amusement.
Did Li Mo think of her as some kind of fool?
She had long known that he had an inner world similar to the Blood Phoenix Secret Realm, a cave-like existence, and that he had used it to astonish the people of the Demon Summoning Sect.
Moreover, he had even taught Xiao Jiang to practice swordsmanship here.
Otherwise, how could Xiao Jiang have learned the unique martial arts she had created?
This place was indeed different from the cave heavens formed within the body of a law body, possessing some peculiarities, but in every aspect, it was far inferior to the many wonders within her previous life.
But since Li Mo didn't mention it, she wouldn't ask.
Everyone has their little secrets.
"Where's the great treasure?"
"Here."
Li Mo snapped back to reality, calming the trembling hammer, and pointed to the 'fire poker' embedded in the ground not far away.
"Yesterday, I defeated a projection of divine intent, but almost shattered the small world, and then He left this here."
He roughly recounted what had happened.
"A projection of divine intent rarely possesses consciousness..."
Ying Bing stood by the fire poker, frowning, and glanced around.
Suddenly, she turned back, grasped Li Mo's nose with her delicate hand, and asked seriously:
"Were you just trying to use your intent to connect the inner and outer worlds, to release this cave heaven?"
"Uh..."
"Idiot."
Ying Bing pinched his nose, exuding a cool and sacred aura.
Li Mo felt like a big-headed doll that had just been poked and was still too stunned to react.
"What's wrong with that?" Li Mo's voice was nasally.
"Integrating the inner and outer worlds is something only possible at the fifth realm."
Ying Bing didn't let go, seeing the confusion in his eyes, and remembering who his master was, she sighed:
"The so-called outer landscape is to project the scenery in your heart into the real world, making it indistinguishable from reality, even influencing the heavens and earth."
"The more complex the scenery in your heart, the harder it is to form an inner or outer landscape. For example, a chicken egg is simpler than a living hen."
"Because you must ensure your 'scene' is real enough, or it will be destroyed by the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths."
"And you, you actually wanted to directly bring a world into being. Is your world 'real' enough?"
Li Mo seemed to understand but also not quite.
His small world, the most real part, was the moon at night.
Everything else could be attributed to special effects.
As a 'world,' compared to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, it was as unrealistic as a fleeting dream.
Bing Tuo continued to fill him in on the knowledge:
"Between heaven and earth, there exist many tides, such as the power of all beings, the essence of life, various creatures, and different 'paths.' Some can be seen, some can be heard, some can be touched, while others cannot be perceived but exist in the void."
"They are all closely interconnected, coordinating with each other, like a precise mechanism. If too many parts are missing, it can cause a dramatic change, just like the sun extinguishing in the Jade Phoenix God."
"And the inner landscape is the process of projecting the outer intent into the scenery, gradually adapting it to the laws of the heavens and earth, integrating it within."
Li Mo listened to Bing Tuo's every word, feeling as if he was beginning to grasp the concept.
The inner landscape is about observing the many mechanisms and parts within the vast machine of heaven and earth and creating them.
The outer landscape is about placing those parts into operation, and if it runs without any sense of dissonance, it counts as a success. If one is exceptionally talented, they might even make the machine run more smoothly.
And his small world wasn't even half-finished.
So, in the eyes of heaven and earth, it was merely an 'anomaly' that could be crushed at any moment.
How could it be like running a self-correcting program?
"If it weren't for the Ruyi Jingu Bang, the small world might have truly been lost just now..."
Li Mo broke into a cold sweat, realizing how close he had come to a major disaster.
"That existence left this here to tell you when you no longer need this object to suppress it, and when your cave heaven can truly connect with the outer world."
Seeing the seriousness in her expression, Li Mo felt a wave of relief wash over him, realizing just how foolish his earlier genius idea had been.
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